Eleanor Josephine Macdonald facts for kids
Eleanor Josephine Macdonald (born March 4, 1906 – died July 26, 2007) was an amazing American scientist. She was a pioneer in the field of epidemiology, which is the study of how diseases spread and how to prevent them. Eleanor focused on cancer and was one of the first people to believe that cancer could be prevented. She even started the very first cancer registry in the United States, located in Connecticut.
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A Life of Learning and Music
Eleanor Josephine Macdonald was born in 1906 in West Somerville, Massachusetts, near Boston. Her father, Angus Alexander, was an engineer from Scotland, and her mother, Catharine Boland Macdonald, was a talented concert pianist with Anglo-Irish roots.
Eleanor was very bright and went to Radcliffe College. She graduated in 1928 with degrees in music, history of literature, and English. For four years after college, she played the cello professionally.
Becoming a Cancer Detective
Eleanor's path to becoming a scientist started when a family friend, Dr. Robert B. Greenough, asked for her help with a research paper. This led her to discover the field of epidemiology.
She went on to study epidemiology and statistics at Harvard University. There, she learned from Edwin Bidwell Wilson about using statistics to understand health problems. Eleanor was quick to use new technology, like Remington Rand punch cards, which were early computers, to help with her research.
Setting Up Cancer Registries
From 1940 to 1948, Eleanor worked for the Connecticut State Department of Health. Her important work there led to her publishing a major study called "The Incidence and Survival in Cancer."
Because of her success in Connecticut, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Thomas Parran, Jr., asked her to create a national cancer registry. A cancer registry is like a big database that collects information about cancer cases. This helps scientists understand more about the disease.
In 1948, she moved to Houston, Texas, to work at the M.D. Anderson Hospital.
Leading Cancer Research
At M.D. Anderson, Eleanor became a Professor of Epidemiology. She created a special system with 200 codes to organize patient information. This system helped doctors and researchers get important statistics from patient charts.
Eleanor Macdonald retired from M.D. Anderson in 1982, but she continued to be a professor emeritus, meaning she still had an honorary role. She passed away in Houston, Texas, on July 26, 2007.
Awards and Special Recognition
Eleanor Macdonald received many awards for her groundbreaking work:
- Honorary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society
- Honorary member of the American Radium Society
- Honorary member of the American Association for Cancer Research
- Myron Gordon Award in 1972, for her work on how race, sex, and sun exposure affect skin cancer.
- Outstanding Service Award from the American Cancer Society in 1973.
- Distinguished Service Award from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
- Inducted into the Texas Medical Center Hall of Fame.
Professional Groups
Eleanor Macdonald was also part of several important professional organizations:
- American Public Health Association
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Consultant for the National Advisory Cancer Council in Washington, D.C.
